


Small Town

by RyanTyler2294



Series: PenPals [2]
Category: DC Animated Universe, DC Cinematic Universe, DCU, DCU (Comics), Smallville
Genre: Awkward Flirting, First Meeting, M/M, awkward bruce, awkward clark, nerds being nerds together, pinning, you have to read the first part to know what's going on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2019-01-07 19:06:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12238893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyanTyler2294/pseuds/RyanTyler2294
Summary: After years of only communicating through letters and a few phone calls, Bruce and Clark finally meet face to face in Smallville. But even after that one kissed they shared the first night under the stars, they're not sure if they can claim the other as boyfriends.





	1. A Long Walk

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sorry this took me so long. I got halfway through and just couldn't figure out the right transitional phrase. Lol. But never fear. This fic is just going through the last phases of editing and the next part is already being worked on. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy these two dorks.
> 
> If you enjoy my work, check out my [Tumblr](https://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com)

Clark woke up with Bruce sleeping next to him. After they came back in from the roof, they had attempted to watch one last episode of Gray Ghost. Bruce fell asleep in the middle of it. Clark did the same soon after. Not because he was tired, but because a lot happened that night, and he needed time to process all this.

He’d kissed Bruce last night, and Bruce had kissed him back.

It’s not like Clark had been planning to make a move on the other teen. He wanted to show him the stars. His emotions had gotten the better of him when he saw how Bruce looked at him in admiration. He thought that maybe he felt the same. Maybe both of them had a crush on each other and this hadn’t just been one sided pinning and low-key flirting on Clarks' end. Maybe Bruce liked him too.

But Clark had already been a stuttering mess. He couldn’t use words to express himself without getting tongue tied. So he decided to let his actions speak for him and he kissed Bruce, and Bruce kissed him back. He still remembers the way his chest felt like it was exploding when it happened. He had to keep himself from floating away he had been so happy.

Now he had Bruce snuggled up against him, snoring. This was perfect. He decided to close his eyes and enjoy the moment a bit longer. There was no harm in that. So he closed his eyes and let his chin rest on the top of Bruce’s head, and enjoyed the moment.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door from Ma. She told them that breakfast would be ready soon and that they should wash up. The call startled Bruce awake. He was a bit dazed as he sat up and got his bearings. He seemed to be trying to remember where he was and who he was with. Then his half dead gaze fell on Clark, and he relaxed.

“ You can shower first,” Clark informed him.

Bruce mumbled something back, still not awake as he grabbed some clothes from his suitcase. He stood up and then realized…

“ Where is your bathroom?”

“ Down the stairs first door on your left.” Clark directed. Bruce nodded giving him a short thanks before he started his journey. Bruce wasn’t a morning person. Clark didn’t pay much mind to it as he straightened up his room real quick. He collected the dishes from last night and brought them down the kitchen. Alfred and Ma were already down there working on breakfast.

“ Morn’n,” Clark greeted the both of them.

“ Sleep well?” Ma asked. Again it was one of those things that he needed to get around to explaining to her. He doesn’t need to sleep, but now wasn’t the time to get into that.

“ Ya,” Clark answered. “And Bruce just got up. He’s in the shower now.”

Ma nodded before saying, “I need you to get a few chores done before you and Bruce take on the day. Just the cows and the chickens.”

“ Yes’m,” Clark answered. “I thought Pa was shearing the sheep today though. Won’t he need help?”

“ He says he can handle it on his own and I believe him. Besides, it’s not urgent. We’re not expecting a heat wave for a while. They’ll be fine.” She reached up to ruffle his hair, not deterred by the fact that Clark stood taller than her now in days. “Now go get washed up.”

“ Yes’m,” He was back up the stairs mindful of his speed. It was killing him to have to show so much more restraint than he was used to in his own home. But it was worth it.

Bruce was out of the shower and dressed by the time Clark got back to the room. He was running a towel over his head trying to dry his hair. He was standing by Clark’s dresser looking at the knick-knacks he had lined up there.

“ The shower’s all yours,” Bruce looked and sounded a lot more coherent than he had a few minutes ago.

“ Thanks.”

“ You did get two bears,” Bruce smirked at him from over his shoulder.

“ Huh?”

“ From the festival, you sent me-” Bruce was going through his bag and pulled out the bear that Clark had sent him. Clark found himself blushing as he remembered the incident. Bruce didn’t finish what he was saying, instead he set his stuffed toy next to Clark’s to reunite them.

~.~.~.~.~                                                       

Bruce was a bit displaced here. He had been over to people’s houses who weren’t as well off as him, but this was different. The bathroom wasn’t shabby, but it could use some work. There were many chipped tiles and what looked to be a scorch mark or two on the wall. The water in the shower took a while to heat up and he could tell that the shower curtains, while they had been washed, were more than well used.

The floorboards creek when he steps on them and the house, in general, could use a bit of a touch-up. Sitting down at breakfast he found that his chair creaked as well and that the table was a little uneven. None of the chairs at the table matched nor did the plates or the silverware. But Clark didn’t seem bothered or embarrassed by it, so this must be the norm for him.

The other thing he noticed was that Clark could eat. Clark could eat a lot. His plate was piled high with pancakes and eggs and sausage and toast.  All of it was covered in syrup from the pancakes but he didn’t seem to care. He was eating it with vigor.

“ I have a few chores to do after this,” Clark started to speak. “I figure we could go into town after and I could show you around?”

“ Sounds good to me,” Bruce said. He was eager to see the kind of places that Clark liked to hang out at. Maybe he could meet Lana and Pete since Clark mentioned them a lot in his letters. They sounded like nice people.

“ You wanna keep me company when I work?” Clark asked. “You can see more of the farm.”

“ Yeah!” Bruce was more than excited to get a look around the property. The only farm he had been to was back in grade school when he went on a field trip. They had spent more time on the trails than around the animals.

“ You’re gonna want boots instead of sneakers though,” Clark warned him.

Bruce had come prepared with such attire. Clark had mentioned that it rains a lot when they do get rain so Bruce had thought to bring boots.

After breakfast, Clark changed into his work clothes. He offered Bruce a t-shirt and some old jeans.

“ Trust me, even if it’s a simple task you don’t want to risk ruining your good clothes.”

Bruce had accepted them and would not admit that he was enjoying wearing Clark’s clothes. The other teen's scent lingered in them, and it made Bruce feel like they were closer.

He followed Clark outside to the barn. It was already warm and sticky out even though it was still early in the morning. All the animals were awake and chattering. Clark set to work feeding them first and changing out the water in their troughs.

“ You do this every morning?” Bruce asked.

“ Sometimes more actually.” Clark adjusted his glasses as he picked up a basket and started to collect eggs from the chickens. “Ma’s giving less to do since I’s got company.”

Bruce nodded as he watched the chickens peck at Clark’s hand as he tried to collect the eggs. He seemed unphased by what they were doing. Maybe being pecked didn’t hurt as much as cartoons made it look.

“ You do it all by yourself?” Bruce asked.

“ Sometimes. When Pa is out of town then I got a bit more to do, but for the most part the whole family pitches in. This is what I got to do in the morning.”  He set the basket down and picked up a pail and a stool. Bruce followed behind him as they approached the cows.

“ You milk them by hand? I thought there were machines that could do that for you”

“ Yeah, but that’s mostly factories who have the set up for that. Putting in one of those systems wouldn’t pay off for us until a long time down the line so we do it by hand.” Clark set the stool down by one of the cows and placed the bucket under it before he got to work.

Bruce watched, unsure how to feel about looking at Clark as he wrapped his hands around the teat of the cows fat utters and gently tug. Milk started to stream into the bucket. It was fascinating to watch, but also a bit disgusting. The problem was that Clark caught him staring and looked up at him with a mischievous grin.

“ You wanna give it a try.”

“ I wouldn’t know what I’m doing so I better not,” Bruce reasoned.

“ I can show you.” Clark insisted.

“ I wouldn’t want to take the chance of hurting her.”

“ You won’t,” Clark stood up and gestured to the stool. He had the smallest teasing smile on his face and Bruce took it as a challenge.

“ Fine, I’ll give it a shot.” Bruce marched over and took a seat. He grasped two of the teats, one in each hand and was disturbed by how fleshy they felt.

“ Just give it a gentle tug,” Clark instructed. Bruce did as he was told wincing a bit, but milk came out so he must be doing it right. “See it’s easy.”

Bruce was amazed by how simple it was to do, and was proud of himself for managing to actually do it. The cow didn’t even seem to notice what was going on. She stood there and waited for it to be over.

After a while, Clark took over again. He made quick work of milking each cow and then sending them out to graze.

“ That’s all for today,” Clark said. “I got to bring all this to Ma, and we can change and get going.”

Bruce needed another shower before he could go. He felt as if the smell from the barn was clinging to him. He didn’t mean it as an insult, but the manure was very potent and he didn’t want to walk around smelling like it.

~.~.~.~.~

Pa said Clark could take the car so they wouldn’t have to wait on the bus. Clark was giddy. Pa hardly ever lets him take the car out by himself even after he got his license. But now he was cruising on the road on the way to town. Bruce was in the passenger seat with a pair of sunglasses on to fight off the sun.

It was nice out, but kind of hot. Clark had the windows down to let a breeze through. It was easier than attempting to play with the air conditioning. It hardly ever worked. He hooked up his phone to the car so he could play some music instead of having to deal with the radio.

“ I figure we could hit up some shops get lunch and there’s a movie showing tonight at the drive in.”

“ You mean like a drive in movie? I didn’t know those were still a thing.”

“ We’re a small town. It’s cheaper to do a drive in than have the town pay for a full movie theater. It’s not as good of a variety unless it’s summer and we get a few of the block buster movies. Lucky for you, it’s summer. They’re showing Captain America movie tonight. Not the new one, the first one”

“ Where are we heading first?” Bruce asked.

“ I was thinking the comic book store,” Clark suggested. “You’ll like it. The drive is a bit long though. One of the issues of living in a town like this.”

“ The scenery is nice,” Bruce smiled as he looked out the window. The wind made his hair flutter and the sun was glinting off the side of his face making him shine. It was breathtaking to watch. “We don’t get this kind of view in Gotham. It’s all buildings, and there’s almost no sunlight that reaches the ground. Even on a nice day, it’s kind of cloudy and gray.”

By the time they got into town things were already busy. Clark found a place to park on the side of the street. There were no real designated parking lots in the center of town. As long as the roads were kept clear and you didn’t block anyone in, it was fine to park anywhere.

“ We got to walk from here.” Clark turned to Bruce. “All the cool stuff is in this area.”

Bruce got out of the car and looked around as Clark took the time to lock the doors. He didn’t need people taking stuff from his car again. Last time someone had swiped Ma’s favorite CD. He knows which kids did it, but he couldn’t confront them on it since the last few incidents he caused turned a few heads.

Bruce was twisting the strap of his messenger bag in his hands as he followed alongside Clark. It made him very self-aware of how shabby his little town looked. He knows Bruce said it looked nice compared to what the city looked like, but he had a feeling that he was just being kind.

The one thing Clark was proud of was their small comic book store. It had upgraded recently and now featured video games and fandom merch. It was a big deal for such a tiny place. It was even one of the few stores that could afford a few fans so it wasn’t as hot inside.

“ This is it,” Clark held the door for Bruce as they went inside.

~.~.~.~.~

The shop wasn’t much to look at. Bruce had seen better in the slums of Gotham. There were few issues on the shelves. Most of the main stream comics weren’t present. The figurine and collectibles were in little numbers. There wasn’t even any apparel.

It was a sad little store.

But Clark was excited about showing him it so he tried to act impressed. Clark looked back with a shy smile, and Bruce didn’t have to pretend to send back one of his own. There was something about seeing Clark happy that got under his skin. It tingled and tickled him to his core and it left him at ease and able to let the corners of his mouth turn upwards.

“ It’s not always up to date, but it’s good for finding older issues.” Clark was thumbing through a small rack on the wall. “Liiiike this,” He pulled one out. “It’s from the first edition of Captain America.”

“ No shit,” Bruce gently took it from Clark’s hand as he looked at it in awe. He hadn't been expecting to find a gem like this in this dive. Not that he read Captain America, but Harvey would love something like it. But something like this had to cost a lot. He looked at the price in disbelief. It was only five dollars!

But he guessed that made sense in such a small low-income neighborhood. He doubts this place could afford to properly price stuff like this. He couldn't complain though.

“ Who’s your favorite?” Bruce asked Clark as they continued to go through the unorganized stacks.

“ I don't have one,” Clark confessed. “If I had to name one…Cyclops or Night Crawler.”

“ You're into X-men?”

“ Yeah,” Clark shrugged. “It's a cool concept. A school for kids with superpowers. The whole world hates them but they still go out of their way to save people. It's noble.” Clark had an odd look on his face as he explained it. He was in deep thought as he reflected on his own words. He connected with these characters and saw them as role models. Bruce couldn't help but wonder what Clark looked like when he was reading them. If he was this passionate talking about it, he must be beautiful when he was able to read it and get into the story line.

“ What about you? What's your favorite?” Clark asked.

“ Gray Ghost!” Bruce gave him an incredulous look. “You should know that.”

“ I had to ask,” Clark smirked. “I knew he was pretty high up there in your ranking.”

“ Well, he is the best,” Bruce clarified with a playful roll of the eye.

“ Yeah, he's cool.” Clark agreed. “But Iceman could totally beat him in a fight.”

“ No he couldn't” Bruce snorted. “Gray Ghost could outsmart him any day of the week.”

“ Iceman survived the Sentinels, he's quick on his feet in a high-stress situation. And that's fighting against huge robots that were made to hunt and track mutants, there's no way he would lose.” Clark pointed out.

“ Just cause he doesn't have powers doesn't mean he can't give a mutant a run for his money. In the fifth episode of the third season, he took in a whole sewer of mutants, and won with minimum damage.” Bruce reminded him as he looked at the small collectibles on the shelf. It didn't look like much at first but the further inspection found a few novelty items.

“ Mutants with no powers. Even so, Iceman is just as cunning. And his particular skill set would make it hard for anyone to fight him.” Clark reasoned. He smirked at Bruce. “I'm not saying he would demolish him. It would be a pretty close fight, but Iceman would beat him.”

“ And I'm just saying, there's no chance in hell that would happen.” Bruce clarified.

“ Agree to disagree.” Clark shrugged.

Bruce found a Winter Soldier figure and a Captain America one. They were from separate sets but they still looked like they would fit together. Again, something Harvey would love. Bruce was pretty sure he “shipped” them, whatever that meant. 

Anyways he was ready to see more of the town. Not that he didn't like this little shop, it had its charm. But he had this fantasy of the two of them hitting the town, having a good time, and a good night kiss. He blushed at the thought of it.

Clark seemed to be thinking the same thing. At least the leaving part. Bruce made sure he paid despite Clark’s offer to pay for his stuff as well. By the time they left it was stuffy outside. The air was hot and suffocating. It wasn't even noon yet and it felt like they were walking on the sun.

“ The next place is a bit of a walk,” Clark explained.

Bruce could see why. The streets were very narrow. He couldn’t see a car fitting through these roads, much less two. It had a ghost town kind of feel to it. People were milling through the streets, going about their normal business. Well, they were until Bruce walked by. Then it was all eyes on him and they would start to whisper among themselves.

“ You’re a new face is all,” Clark explained as if reading Bruce’s mind. “It’s a small town, everyone knows everyone here. They’re not saying anything bad, just wondering who ya are.”

“ Oh,” Was Bruce’s only response. It didn’t make him feel any better. He knows Clark said they weren’t saying anything bad, but no one seemed happy to see him in their small little town.

“ You wanna head to the park?” Clark asked. “It’s nice this time of year and there’s a good amount of shade."

“ Sounds good.” Anything was better than walking through these streets with everyone staring at him. As promised there was shade and much-needed relief from the sun. It wasn’t the kind of park Bruce was used to with blacktop playgrounds. There was a long expanse of trees and pathways. There were playgrounds but they had grass and sand. There were a pond and a few streams. It was actually a very nice scene. He could see it as a painting.

The people who were milling about seemed a lot nicer as well. Once in awhile, one would look at him in question before giving him a quick smile and going about their day, but that was it. The only ones who seemed annoyed by them were the joggers, and that was because they were in the way.

“ Do you really know everyone in this town?” Bruce asked.

“ Most of them. Almost all the teens are in the same high school as me. The adults are their parents. Kids in the other schools are younger sibling and everyone shows up at the town meeting once in awhile. It gets so boring that even if you don’t like each other, sometimes we all end up hanging out just to have some fun.”

“ What kind of things do you do?” Bruce asked.

“ You ever been mudding?” Clark asked with a mischievous grin.

“ What’s that?”

“ We find of muddy spot and we take the truck out. We have a few people in the back of the pickup and we drive through, kind of reckless until the people in the back are covered.”

Bruce wasn’t sure how that was fun. It sounded more like they were making a mess.

“ Don’t knock it till ya try it,” Clark said when he saw the face that Bruce made. “There’s other stuff too. Summer gets boring. We don’t have a pool or anything so we have to make do.”

“ Make do?”

“ You’re staying here a few weeks, right? You’ll find out.” Clark smirked.

“ Why am I suddenly worried.”

“ Don’t be,” Clark pat him on the back. “It’s not like mudding. We make our own pools and stuff like that. Sometimes me and my friends go for a swim in the lake on my property.”

“ You have a lake?”

“ It’s more like a pond,” Clark admitted. “But we always called it a lake when we were younger.”

“ Oh.”

“ What do you do in the summer?” Clark asked. “It’s got to be different in the city.”

“ I go to conventions. Me and Harvey been scoping out a few and we were gonna go from town to town next summer.”

“ Like a comic book convention?”

“ Yeah,” Bruce nodded. “It’s really cool. Everyone dresses up and there are merch and panels.”

“ Sounds like fun.” Clark shrugged. He looked away bashfully like he was embarrassed. Bruce wasn’t sure if he had said something wrong or not.

~.~.~.~.~

Clark was starting to get a better understanding of the cultural gap between the two of them. He’d wished he had gone to Gotham. It would have been easier for him. Now he was worried that Bruce was going to get bored here and regret the trip.

Clark had never been to a convention before. He’d only heard of them and seen a few pictures on the internet. Just from looking he knows he couldn’t match that kind of energy here. They were taking a walk through the park for God’s sake!  And this was as good as it gets. There wasn’t that much that Smallville could offer and it was embarrassing.

Bruce kept saying he didn’t mind the scenery, but Clark didn’t know if it was true or not. He was keeping his super hearing in check and trying not to peek in on Bruce’s heart beat to see if he was telling the truth. He would have to take his word on it and cross his fingers.

On the other side of the park was a little diner. The sign on the top had long since fallen off, but everyone in town knew it was here and came often. It was Clark’s favorite place because he had a little booth in the back that was his. The waitress and the owner always gave him that spot since he first asked for a place to avoid his bullies. It would be a nice place to grab a bite to eat and talk with a bit of privacy.

“ Who’s your friend Clark?” The waitress, Cindy asked. She was a college graduate who had recently moved back to town. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and she was chewing on a piece of gum to occupy herself through the lull of shift before the lunch crowd came in and slammed the place.

“ This is Bruce. He’s from New Jersey.” Clark introduced him. “Bruce this is Cindy.”

“ Nice to meet you.” Bruce greeted keeping his hands on the strap of his bag.

“ I’ll show ya to your seats. The usual alright?”

“ Yeah. It’s what I was hoping for.” He was relieved to find his booth wasn’t occupied by anyone and he and Bruce were able to take their seats. Cindy left them with the menus and promised to be back soon.

“ So is this like a 70’s theme dinner so something?” Bruce asked as he looked around.

“ It was built in the 70’s and they never got around to remodeling.” Clark shrugged. “It becomes a hangout spot in the summer.”

Bruce wasn’t sure if he believed the last part. There was hardly anyone here. As if sensing his skepticism, Clark said, “We’re here before the lunchtime rush.”

“ Milkshakes on the house.” Cindy smiled placing two vanilla milkshakes topped with chocolate sauce in front of them. “So what can I get ya?”

They placed their order. Clark got his usual and Bruce ordered based off of Clark’s recommendation. It wasn’t long until people started to file in and pack the little diner. It was steadily getting louder and was more like the hustle and bustle he was used to in Gotham. But the more people came around the tenser Clark became. Then it started to occur to him, Clark might be shy and not fond of crowds.

~.~.~.~.~

Clark heard when Whitney and his friends came in. They were about halfway through their meals when they came clambering in. Bruce was getting close to completing his food. His eyes were alight and he was practically salivating just from one bite. Clark wanted this peace to last just a little longer.

Where they were seated left them out of sight from most of the restaurant. If they stayed long enough maybe Whitney would come and go without noticing them. Yeah, good plan. Besides, talking with Bruce was easily one of the most enjoyable things he’s experienced in his life. Their conversations could go on for hours once they got going.

“ I didn’t know that diners like this still exists.” Bruce was saying as he looked around. “It’s kind of cool. I wouldn’t mind having something like this back in Gotham. The only thing it’s missing is waitresses on rollerblades.”

“ They only stopped doing it ‘cus one of the girls took a pretty nasty fall last year,” Clark explained

“ That’s a shame,” Bruce said. “It would have been cool.” He had his phone out and was snapping pictures of some of the scenery. He had taken pictures of their meal earlier as well.

Clark chuckled, “Yeah, a lot of people were sad to see them go. They used to bring your take out to the car when you called ahead and everything.”

Bruce nodded as Clark spoke. He was getting through the final bites of his food while Clark took care of the bill. Or tried to, Bruce kept insisting on paying, but Clark grabbed the check before he could.

“ So, what else is there to do around here?”

TBC...


	2. Lemons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They continue to explore the town and come face-to-face with some of the people that Clark know, but not his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn't sure if I was going to post this one today. But here it is! It's a little shorter than all the other chapters but I think you'll like them all the same. Next chapter will be longer I promise, I'm just doing some grooming on it to make it perfect. 
> 
> If you enjoy my work, check out my [Tumblr](https://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com)

Bruce was sure his feet were going to fall off. He’d never done so much walking in his life. The town was small but everything was still enough of a distance away that walking was a chore. It didn’t help that the ground was uneven in many sections and trying to find his footing was a struggle.

Clark had taken him to many of the shops around town. The air was stifling. Every breath felt like he was suffocating. Now the sun was overhead and the heat was unbearable. There was no sort of shade so they could hide from it. Very few of the places they went to had air conditioning and the ones that did were the ones he wanted to leave the least. It was cool and refreshing while they were in there. Leaving felt like walking from a refrigerator to the surface of the sun.

Clark didn’t seem to notice that it was hot. The only thing he did take notice of, was when Bruce’s water bottle ran out. He made sure to get him a new one so he wouldn’t dehydrate.

Then Clark tensed as if he finally felt the heat himself.

“ The sun is pretty high in the sky,” Clark said. “We should head back and go back out in the evening when it’s a little cooler. We can get some ice cream for the road” He turned about face so they could head back the way they came. Bruce followed suit more than happy to get out of the heat.

“ Hey, Kent!” A voice called from behind.

It took Bruce a second to remember that Kent was indeed Clark’s last name. Maybe one of his friends had spotted him? No. He could see the way Clark grit his teeth and clenched his fist before he turned around.

“ What do you want Whitney?” Clark’s voice was a bit different when he spoke. Bruce knew that tone though. It’s the same you use when confronting someone in Gotham. Right now Clark was cautious, but trying to show he was willing to defend himself if had to. The stance he took widened his shoulder and lifted his chin so he was no longer slouching. It was a warning. 

“ Nothing, just, well, with a nice day like this, I thought you’d be home with your beloved animals.”

“ Whitney, that joke lost its punch months ago.” Clark snarled, but his cheeks colored in embarrassment.

Whitney was actually a little shorter than Clark, and less muscular. His blond hair was cut short with bangs in the front. He was grinning at Clark all teeth and smug. Whitney’s friends were crowding around him, waiting for the show to begin. Bruce’s first thought was that they were about to get mugged. But how would you get away with something like that when they were in such a visible well-lit area? Even if they got something, it’s a small town and everyone knows everyone.

“ But it didn’t lose its truth.”

“ Get lost, Whitney.”

“ Who’s your friend? Did you trade Pete in for a newer model?’

“ What is your problem,” Clark snared. Bruce could see the anger building behind that wall of restraint. 

“ You know what I mean,” Whitney winked. “Guess you found someone who can tolerate the smell of manure. It’s always lingering on you, ya know.”

“ He said to go,” Bruce found himself speaking up. “So go.”

“ Woah, Jersey Boy got balls,” Whitney taunted. It threw Bruce for a loop. Jersey Boy? He forgot that he had an accent in comparison to these guys. But before he could give his retort, Clark had stepped forwards.

“ I said back off Whitney,” He didn’t hesitate to get into the other teen’s space.

“ We’ve done this song and dance before Kent. We both know you’re not going to do nothin’.”

There was a silence between the two. Clark was glaring Whitney down. His nostril flared and his eyes were rimmed red. His teeth were clenched and gnashed together as he started to speak in a low voice. Bruce could barely hear him, but he’s pretty sure he said something like, “This time I won’t miss.”

It seemed to do the trick. Whitney’s eyes widened and he actually took a step back as if he was scared of what Clark was going to do.

“ Let’s get out of here,” Whitney said to his gang. “Smell you later Kent.”

Clark let out a sigh of relief once they started to leave.

“ Sorry about that,” Clark said sheepishly. He was back to slouching and looking a little meek. “But if I’m not firm they would have followed us and been a nuisance.”

“ Does this happen often?” Bruce ask.

“ It’s a small town. Not everyone here has productive ways to keep themselves occupied.”

“ They bully you?” Bruce asked in concern.

“ They mess with everyone.” Clark shrugged.

“ It seemed kind of personal.” Bruce frowned.

“ It’s no big deal,” Clark waved it off. “Let’s head back to the house and cool off for a bit.”

~.~.~.~.~

The ride back had been quiet, and a little tense. Clark knew it was because of him. He was still mortified that all that had happened in front of Bruce. He knew he would run into Whitney at some point, but Bruce insisted on coming to Kansas. He still dared to hope that Whitney and his goons would stay in the junkyard like they did the past few summers.

He never has luck like that.

Instead, they were in town, poking fun at him and trying to bring up the stuff from school in front of Bruce. He would never be able to face him if he found out what they had been saying about him. And worse, Bruce got to see him at his most aggressive. But if he hadn’t scared them off then they would have stuck around and made the visit a living hell. He had to bite the bullet.

And worse, Bruce was worried that he was getting bullied. Which he was, but he didn’t want Bruce to see him as some weak victim.

By the time they got home, he realized that there was no way for him to explain it away. He would have to accept what had happened and move on. Hopefully what transpired today was enough to keep Whitney off his back a little longer. At least until Bruce went home.

“ Back so soon?” Ma asked as they came in.

“ It’s too hot to be outside all day,” Clark explained. “We’re gonna wait until it cools off.”

Bruce had already slipped past him and was heading upstairs so he could change out of his sweaty clothes.

“ I’ll bring you guys some lemonade and some snacks.” She waved him off.

“ Where’s Pa and Alfred.”

“ Your Pa mentioned something about the tractor making a weird noise. Now they’re both working on the thing.” She shook her head and went on to explain how Alfred is a jack of all trades. They were even going to be exchanging a few recipes and make dinner together.

He hadn’t been expecting the adults to get along so well.

He headed back up to his room so he could change as well. Not that he was sweating, but he did want to get into something a bit more comfortable than what he had on. He opened to door to his room in enough time to catch the end of Bruce putting on his shirt. It wasn’t like he saw that much skin, but it was enough that he blushed as he stumbled over an apology.

“ It’s fine,” Bruce said like it was no big deal, but his cheeks were also pink with embarrassment. “You wanna pick up where we left off? The DVD is still in.”

“ Yes,” Clark agreed. He flopped onto his bed and started up the episode they had fallen asleep on.

As it turns out, Bruce doesn’t like lemonade. He smile politely when he was handed the glass, but the moment he took a sip, his mouth puckered. Clark laughed at him as he reached for some of the snacks that Ma had brought up.

“ I don’t like lemons,” Bruce mumbled in defense.

“ If you said that she would have brought you something different,” Clark informed him.

“ I didn’t want to be rude,” Bruce sighed. He was slumped against the bed. He was tired. The heat had drained him of all his energy. He could take a nap now he was so tired. But Clark was saying something to him, and he was trying to stay awake and listen to it.

He decided to make himself comfortable. He folded his arm and laid his head there. There was also no harm in closing his eyes for a few second. His eyelid felt much lighter once they closed and his body started to relax into the bed.

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clark never really stands up to them unless he protecting someone else :(  
> There's more to come! Let me know what you think!
> 
> If you enjoy my work, check out my [Tumblr](https://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com)


	3. Drive-In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys watch a movie together!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnd chapter 3 is here! Woot! Some fluff and a pinch of angst! Kind of. I think you'll like it ^o^  
> If you enjoy my work, check out my [Tumblr](https://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com)

When he woke up the sun was starting to set and Clark was sitting next to him typing on his laptop. The video they were watching had been paused and most of the snacks were gone.

“ Morning Sleeping Beauty,” Clark looked down at him from over his glasses.

“ Wah?” Bruce asked wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth.

“ You fell asleep,” Clark informed him.

“ I always get tired when I’m out in the sun too long.”

“ The sun gives energy, it doesn’t take it away.”

“ That’s a lie,” Bruce yawned and stretched.

“ You wanna eat before we go?”

“ They don’t have food there?”

“ Well, popcorn, hot dogs, normal theater stuff.” Clark shrugged.

“ It's like a drive thru?”

Clark raised an eyebrow. Then he realized that Bruce must think that because it's a drive in movie, so there must be a drive thru to get food. “You would think, but you have to park and then get out and go over to the concession stand.”

“ Oh…”

“ We should get going if we want to get a good spot,” Clark said. “Last thing you want it to get stuck behind the truck with a couple in it. If you catch me drift.”

Bruce blinked processing what had been said to him before making a face and saying, “ew.”

“ You ready to go then?”

“ Yes,” Bruce stood up. He got his shoes on and followed Clark downstairs.

“ We're going back out,” Clark told his parents. “We’ll be back in a few hours.”

“ Don't stay out too late,” Pa warned. “Curfew is eleven.”

“ Got it,” Clark snatched the keys off the hook.

“ See ya later,” Bruce waved.

“ Be safe,” Alfred warned giving Bruce a pointed look.

~.~.~.~.~

Cars were already starting to gather at the drive-in by the time they arrived. Clark managed to find a good spot in the midst of the chaos of everyone maneuvering around each other. He put the car in park before he turned off the lights and shut off the car.

“ We got a little while until the movie starts, you want to grab some food?” Clark was already taking his seat belt off, and reaching for the door handle. “You want me to grab it or do you want to come with?”

Bruce weighed the pros and cons of staying in the car or getting out and navigating through the cars.

“ Get me what you’re getting.”

“ Cool,” Clark said. “I’ll be right back.”

Bruce took off his seat belt and tipped the seat back a little while he waited for Clark to come back. He fished in his pocket and pulled out his phone. He hadn’t texted Harvey since he got here and figured he should at least let him know that he made it.

“ So far so good.”

“ Is he a cowboy?” Harvey sent back instantly.

“ No. He does have cows though.” Bruce snickered. “And chickens. His family grows corn. I think?”

“ Any tumbleweeds?”

“ Not that I’ve seen.”

“ Damn!” There was a brief pause between messages before Harvey also sent. “What is it like there?”

“ Hot. Very hot. I’m melting. And there’s no real street in town so we have to walk everywhere. My feet are sore.” Bruce sent a frown at the end of the message. It felt good to be able to outwardly complain to someone. He didn’t want to say anything and hurt Clark’s feelings.

“ Jeez! Tell me at least one cool thing happened.”

“ The comic shop was alright, and we went to this cool 70’s themed dinner. We’re at a drive in movie right now.”

“ They still have those?”

“ That’s what I said.” Bruce snickered. “I’m looking forward to the movie.”

“ Anything good?”

“ It’s Captain America or something like that. He told me earlier but I forgot.”

He looked up and saw Clark approaching the car.

“ I’ll tell you more about it later.”

“ I may have gotten too much,” Clark admitted. He maneuvered himself so he could pull out the cup holders and put the two drinks down first. He placed the bags of food between them.

“ What did you get?” Bruce asked

“ Popcorn in that bag. Candy in this one. And these two are burgers and fries. There are some ketchup packets and napkins in there too. I was going to get ice cream too but I figured that would melt.”

“ That is a lot,” Bruce admitted. “But I’m really hungry.”

“ Then I guess I did good,” Clark grinned at him. He was suddenly getting closer and Bruce thought that they might be about to kiss again. Clark reached passed him to the glove compartment and pulled out a portable radio. He fiddled with the dial.

“ What are you doing?” Bruce asked.

“ The movie has sound but you need to tune into it through the radio and the theater has its own station. This way we can control the volume.”

Bruce nodded, deciding to go through one of the bags and find himself a burger. Around him, he could hear people starting to settle down. Some had come with chairs and blankets and were sitting down in front. Kids were running and weaving about between the cars now that most people were parked. The teenagers, like themselves, seemed to be more content to stay in their cars. Bruce now knew what that was about.

Then the screen started to light up and the radio started to crackle with sound. Clark picked it up and fiddled with it a bit more until the sound started to come through and set it on the dashboard.

“ Can you hear it alright?”

“ Yeah,” Bruce nodded. He was watching the screen as animated food danced across it singing some sort of jingle. Luckily, it wasn’t the movie. It was some sort of advertisement for the food. Then the screen went dark again and the movie started.

~.~.~.~.~

Clark was glad not to bump into anyone here. He’d been worried that someone might spot him on the way to the concession stand, but no one called him out. It was refreshing to be invisible for once. His only worry was that he thought he heard Pete and Lana somewhere in the area. They hadn’t told him that they planned to go out tonight, but neither had he. It’s not that he didn’t want to see them, but he wanted to have a few days to have Bruce all to himself.

And it looks like he was going to get it. The movie was playing and they were both enjoying their food. They hadn’t talked much since it started. There were a few comments here and there, but nothing close to a full conversation.

It was a comfortable silence. Clark found himself caught up in the story line. Captain America hadn’t been one of his favorites before watching the movie: he had never been able to get enough of his comics to get into the story line. But being able to watch the full story helped to get him into it.

“ I love this movie,” Clark admitted. He’d had devoured his burger and fries and popped a few pieces of popcorn in his mouth.

“ It’s one of Marvel’s better ones,” Bruce agreed. “A man can only watch but so many Spiderman movies before gets bored.”

“ You’re telling me. I heard he’s getting a reboot.”

“ You mean The Amazing Spiderman?”

“ No, a different one.”

Bruce rolled his eyes. Clark snickered.

“ Maybe it won’t be so bad.”

“ When was the last time you saw a good Spiderman movie?” Bruce quirked an eyebrow at him. Clark grinned at him as he fought back a laugh. He knows that Bruce was trying to be serious, but he looked more like he was pouting. It was kind of cute.

“ Give it a chance.”

“ I rather not waste my money to go see something I’m pretty sure I’m not going to like.”

“ Tell ya what. When it comes out on Netflix we can live stream it together.”

Bruce blinked in surprise. His cheeks started to color as he sputtered and nodded to show he agreed to it.

“ I love this part,” Clark’s attention was back on the screen for a second as he quoted the movie. "I thought you were dead.”

“ I thought you were smaller.” They said at the same time. Clark chortled a little.

“ This is nice,” Bruce tipped his seat back a little more. “Don’t have to worry about being loud, don’t have to listen to other people’s conversation. I think the worst that’s happened so far as the kids dancing in front of the screen, but that’s not so bad."

“ Yeah? It’s one of my favorite hangout spots. I used to come here all the time with my friends.”

“ So you don’t come here anymore?”

“ Sometimes, not as often as I used to. The farm can get busy in the summer. Gotta make sure the animals are keeping cool and keep the plants watered through heat waves. Corn can catch pretty fast in heat.”

“ Catch?”

“ Catch fire.” Clark clarified. “We lose crops like that sometimes.”

“ So you spend most of your time on the farm?”

“ Yeah,” Clark shrugged. “It’s a lot a land. In a way we’re rich, but you gotta work the land to turn a profit. It’s not all that exciting. I like going out when I don't have chores. I can't wait until I have a car of my own. I want to get out of here and travel.”

“ Where would you go?” Bruce shifted to be on his side as he listened to Clark talk.

“ I dunno,” Clark admitted. “Anywhere I guess. I want to get out and see the world. This place is so small, I can't imagine staying in a place where I see the same people all the time. My parents were able to do it, but they love this town and their farm.”

“ And you don't?”

“ It's not that I don't love this place. It has its charm, but…I don't know, I've never felt the kind of community that they're always talking about. I've never felt like I had strong ties here. I think I'm meant to be somewhere else.”

“ How far do you plan to go?”

Clark shrugged, finally breaking his gaze with the screen so he could look at Bruce. “I don't know yet. But I know I want to leave the country, even if it's for a little bit. See the world and stuff.”

“ When?”

“ Huh?”

“ When do you plan to go?”

“ Not sure. I'm thinking right after high school before the student loan debt starts to pile up.”

“ We should go together,” Bruce suggested. “Just you and me, and we can go anywhere we want.” He leaned in a bit more.

“ I-I  always want-t-t-ed t-to go t-to Europe or th-the Middle East,” Clark lowered his voice, embarrassed by his resurfacing stutter. “M-maybe even live th-there for a while.”

“ I have a house in France,” Bruce said risking the fact that it might sound like bragging. “We could stay as long as we want.” His heart was fluttering in his chest as he leaned in a bit more. To his surprise, Clark moved back. Maybe he misread the situation?

“ Th-this is a v-ver-ry sm-small t-town, with a v-ver-ry sm-small way of th-thinking,” Clark explained. “W-wor-rd spreads like w-wildfire and I hav-ve t-to live with th-these people.”

“ I didn't know.” Bruce cleared his throat, a little embarrassed.

“ Th-that-t's my fault-t,” Clark apologized. “I should h-have t-told you. I-If it makes you feel any better, I r-really want-t t-to kiss you right now.”

Before Bruce could respond the back door to Clark's car was yanked opened.

“ I thought I saw your car!” A female voice interjected as two people clambered into the back seat. “You didn't tell us you were coming.”

“ It was a last minute decision.” Clark regarded the two coolly after looking a little miffed over being interrupted. “Pete, Lana, this is Bruce. Bruce meet Pete and Lana.”

“ I was wondering who ya were,” Lana waved. “Everyone said you had a new friend in town and I kind of figured it had to be him. This is the pen pal guy right?”

“ Yes this is him,” Clark clarified. “He flew in last night. I was showing him around most of the morning.”

“ Should have told us you were gonna be here,” Pete said. “We had a good spot down front. I would have saved you guys a seat.”

“ Well, you guys are going to the Fair right!” Lana asked.

“ Fair?” That for Bruce’s attention.

“ There's a Fair coming to town,” Clark told him. “I think it's the day after tomorrow or something like that.”

“ We should all go together and hang out!” Lana beamed.

“ Sounds like fun!” Bruce agreed. He never belonged to a group of friends. Harvey was the only person he talked to. The idea of being with a lot of people at an event like this was something he'd only dreamed of.

“ Cool!” Lana gave a thumbs up before opening the car door again. “See you guys later. Come on Pete.”

“ Wait, where are we…?” Before he could finish asking Pete was already being pulled along.

“ Bye guys.” Clark waved. The door swung shut behind the two and it was only Clark and Bruce again.

“ They seem nice,” Bruce looked to Clark.

“ They are. You'll like them.”

The credits were starting to roll to show that the movie had ended. A few cars were starting up and pulling out.Clark put his seat back in the right position but didn't do much more. He said there was no point in trying to pull out right now. It would be better to wait for the others to move so he had enough space to swing out.

Part of Bruce wanted to suggest that they stay for a bit longer. With everyone leaving it would leave them some privacy and maybe they could get that kiss. But asking would be weird. It had only been a day of them finally hanging out together. It would feel like they were moving too fast. Then again, they had kissed last night, would it be that far of a jump?

Then there was the other question that had been lingering in the back of his head for a while. What were they? Neither of them had confessed in their letters or out loud, but they were trying to start something. He should ask Clark to be his boyfriend, but the idea of saying it made him flustered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awe! They're such awkward ducklings! Don't worry there is more to come! Drop me a comment if you enjoyed this chapter! I love hearing from you guys  
> If you enjoy my work, check out my [Tumblr](https://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com)


	4. Beat the Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clark talks Bruce into going out and doing some things that he wouldn't normally do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter after this! Hope you guys enjoy this one!!!  
> If you enjoy my work, check out my [Tumblr](https://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com)

It was hot! Even sitting in front of the fan, Bruce felt like he was melting into the floor.  Clark was watching the T.V like nothing was wrong. At first, he thought it was because he was used to it, then he saw how Clark’s parents were sweating. He soon realized that Clark an anomaly.

“ How do you live without an air conditioner?” Bruce asked. Mrs. Kent said it was okay for them to have some of the ice cream so he was grabbing the tub from the freezer.

“ There's one in the family room.” Clark pointed to it. “It's broke down last week, and we haven't fixed it yet. Pa and Alfred have been tinkering with it.”

“ So it should be working soon.”

“ Maybe. We might have to actually call someone to come fix it this time around.” Clark frowned as he watched the two men trying to get the air conditioner to start. “That thing is so old. We should get a new one.”

“ Wouldn’t that mean going back into town, in this heat.” Bruce was terrified by the thought of it.

“ It’s not so bad. It’s a quick drive there and back and then we got to put the thing in the window. It would be a lot quicker than fixing that old piece of junk. It’s always breaking down.”

Then the sound of the motor started up and cool air started to blow through the house.

“ Thank the Lord,” Mrs. Kent sighed in relief. “You boys can take your ice cream to the living room if you still need to cool off.”

“ Thank you,” Bruce was already making a beeline for the couch with the best exposure to the blowing air. Clark wasn’t too far behind him. By the time he sat down, Bruce was already basking in the air.

“ So I take it I can’t talk you into leaving the house today.”

“ Over my dead body,” Bruce said through a mouth of ice cream.

Clark snickered before turning his attention out the window. For a while, they sat in quiet until Clark’s phone vibrated. He peeked at it and grinned as he texts back. He seemed excited about whatever the conversation was.

“ Are you sure I can’t talk you into going out?” Clark suddenly asked.

“ Pete and Lana?”

“ Some of the other kids in town are putting together a water slide. Everyone is invited.”

“ Putting together?”

“ You won’t know until you get there.” 

“ Why not.” Bruce conceded. Besides if it was a water slide then it would at least be cool right?

“ You’re gonna want a change of clothes, and some swim trunks.” Clark was already up and ready to go. He was like a hyper puppy.

That was how Bruce found himself driving through town in unbearable heat instead of staying in the nice air conditioning. The drive was long and Clark had to stop for gas before they continued on. They pulled up by a hill where a bunch of other cars were parked. There were a lot of people gathered at the top. Even from where he was he could hear them shouting and squealing

Clark hopped out of the car and grabbed his bag from the back seat. He had made sure to bring a change of clothes if the both of them, along with some other things. Bruce wasn’t sure what. Clark was like a blur when he was packing.

“ It’s at the top,” Clark lead the way up the hill. As he got closer the mass of people became easier to make out. There was a pile of shoes and clothes. Groups of teens milling around the top of the hill before jumping off and sliding down.

“ Clark!” Lana spotted them from her spot on the top of the hill. “You made it!”

“ Hey!” Clark put a pep in his step. Once at the top Bruce could see that the “water slide” was a long plastic tarp rolled down the hill. A few hoses were running water down the tarp to make a slide.

Red-Neck Engineering was the only phrase that came to mind.

Everyone was taking turns going down and climbing back up the hill to do it all over again.

“ Hey Bruce,” Lana gave him a little wave.

“ Hi.” He didn’t have much more to say. He was more focused on watching the way the “slide” was being used. Some people were going down in groups. Others went down one by one, and some had brought cooking pans and box lids to use as sleds.

Clark showed him where to put his shoes and clothes. There were two separate piles. They stripped down to their bathing suits and went back to the others where. Clark introduced him to everyone. There was a chore of hi’s, hellos and nice to meet ya’s, but for the most part, everyone was more preoccupied with sliding down the hill. While Bruce had a few prejudices against it, it did look like fun.

“ Wanna go down together?” Clark asked as if he could sense Bruce’s nerves.

“ Sure,” Bruce shrugged trying to play it cool. The first time down the cool water was nothing but a relief to his hot skin. He let out a small shout of joy as they went down, Clark was laughing beside him. They made it to the bottom and had to scramble to get out of the way of the next person coming down. Then they started up the hill to do it again.

By the fifth trip, Bruce was tired but happy.

“ This is a lot more fun than I thought it would be,” Bruce admitted.

“ Told ya.” Clark grinned. “You ready to go again?”

“ In a little bit. Going up that hill is murder”  Bruce panted.

Clark plopped down next to him at the top of the hill. It was a nice scene despite how hot it was. They had found shade under a nearby tree, with a few of the other kids. None of them were shy about asking him about city life.

“ I was thinking about moving out after high school,” Pete explained. “Get out of town and see what they city has to offer. But then there’s the farm. Can’t just leave my folks to tend to it by themselves ya know.”

“ Yeah,” Bruce nodded even though he didn’t get it. Everyone he talked to here, seemed to be in a rush to leave. He didn’t see why. It was a nice town from what he had seen. A bit hotter than he would like, but the shops were nice despite their limited selections. And the most of the people he had run into seemed nice enough. There wasn’t that same kind of hustle and bustle that you would find in Gotham.

“ Shit,” One of the girls sighed as she looked over the hill. “The tarp dropped out of place.”

Bruce frowned. He didn’t want to head back to the house yet. He was just starting to get comfortable with everyone.

“ You know what that means,” Whitney smirked before sliding down the hill anyway. A few of his friends followed him down the formed mudslide.

“ Ew,” Bruce made a face as he watched the others.

“ You never done anything like this before?” Clark asked.

“ No. I’d rather not get covered in mud.”

Clark quirked an eyebrow before they both peered over the side to watch everyone on their way down. The guys were cheering and goading others on. The girls squealed and giggled not caring if they got covered from head to toe in filth.

“ Never know unless you try,” Clark said. “And we have a hose to clean you off if you’re worried about a mess.”

“ I’d still rather not…” Before he could finish what he was going to say Clark had his arms around him and was tipping them over the side of the hill. The next thing he knew he was going down with Clark laughing as they both got covered.

Bruce was fuming by the time they got to the bottom. He was going to say something but Clark was shaking his head to get the mud out of his hair and Bruce had to duck for cover. Bruce wiped the mud from his face still a bit angry. Clark stood up and extended a hand to him to help him up.

“ Wanna go again?”

Bruce thought about it for a second before he accepted Clark’s hand, “Yeah let’s do it.”

~.~.~.~.~

As it started to get dark everyone rinsed the mud from themselves before turning off the hoses and retiring the mud hill. The day was finally cooling off as Bruce and the other teens started to put on clothes. Much to his surprise, a fire was soon started and everyone gathered around it. Sticks were whittled and someone started to pass around marshmallows.

“ This was fun,” Bruce admitted when Clark passed him a stick.

“ Had a feeling you would enjoy it,” Clark gave him a crooked grin. “It’s not conventional but it’s a good way to beat the heat.”

“ You guys do this all the time?”

“ Not always. Sometimes we get the back of an old truck and fill it with water. And there’s Crater Lake, but everyone is pretty sure it’s haunted.”

“ Haunted?”

“ You haven’t heard?” One of the guys asked. “Kent! You didn’t tell him about the haunted Lake.”

“ It’s not like I was going to take him there.” Clark snapped.

“ Is it really haunted?” Bruce asked.

“ It’s not haunted.” Clark rolled his eyes. “But a lot of weird stuff happens around there.”

“ Cause it’s haunted.”

“ Because a lot of teens hang out there and tend to cause a ruckus, now everyone says an evil spirit lives there.”

“ It glows at night,” Lana added. “It’s this eerie green color.”

“ What happened to make it do that?” Bruce asked. The logical part of his brain told him that the minerals in the rocks were probably reacting to something in the area, but the other part wanted to hear the story.

“ No one knows,” Lana went on. “The adults don’t talk about it, but it had to be something important. The FBI is constantly coming in and taking samples and asking the adults about that night. Whatever went down is pretty important.”

“ Someone probably died there.” Whitney interrupted from across the fire. “Why else would they care so much?”

“ If someone died then we would have heard about it,” one of the other girls said.

“ I think it's aliens,” Pete said. “Why else call it Crater Lake? Something must have fallen there to create it.”

“ Not necessarily,” Clark said.

“ But it would be cool,” Bruce piped in. He had lost his sense of adventure when he was in Gotham, but Smallville seemed like a safe place to go out and explore, and Crator Lake sounded like a good place to start.

“ We shouldn’t,” Clark said.

“ Kent’s too scared to go there,” Whitney taunted.

“ Sorry I don’t want to go into the place with all the jagged rocks.”

“ Admit it, you’re scared.”

“ No one comes out of there without an injury. I’m not scared, I’m just not stupid.”

“ Alright Kent. You win this one.” Whitney backed down a lot easier than he did in the middle of town. Actually, they both seemed to laugh it off. Bruce looked at Clark in question.

Clark shrugged before saying in a low voice. “Sometimes you need to put aside your differences to get along and have a good time. No point in starting a fight.”

Chocolate and graham crackers were starting to get passed around. Bruce was still struggling to toast a marshmallow that didn’t burn.

“ Here,” Clark passed him one of his after Bruce’s failed fifth attempt.

“ Thanks,” Bruce conceded. From there it wasn’t hard to get it off the stick and between the graham crackers. Everyone settled into mindless chit-chat. Most were making plans for tomorrow. Bruce could understand why. They passed by the area they were setting up the fair in on the way here. It looked like it was going to be fun: like a smaller amusement park.

Within a few minutes, his belly was filled with s’mores and he let himself drift from the conversation. It was nicer to lay on his back and look up at the sky as he basked in the warmth of the fire. The voices behind him became soft buzz, and fireflies were starting to come out. This made him sit up again. He’d didn’t see them too often in Gotham. Right now there were so many he had thought that the stars had come closer to the earth.

He watched them for a while before someone passed him a jar. It turns out the others had the same idea. It became a game to see who could catch the most bugs. Bruce had taken to creeping up on one once he spotted it and try to close the jar around it. It proved to be a problem if he wanted more than one.

Then there was Clark. He somehow managed to have about ten or so while everyone was still struggling to have three or four. It was fascinating to watch Clark used one hand to reach out and catch a bug in a loose fist before releasing it in his jar and closing the top. He did it with such speed and efficiency that was almost inhuman.

“ You ready to go?” Clark asked. “It’s getting late.”

“ I want to catch one more,” Bruce was slowly closing his hand around a bug he was tracking. Clark was beside him with the jar at the ready. The bug danced away from him in the first attempt but he managed to get him at the second.

“ Yes! Finally.” Bruce deposited the fly in the jar without letting out the one he already had. “Alright let’s get going.”

“ We’re heading out,” Clark waved to the group.

“ Bye Clark, bye Bruce,” A few of them called.

They grabbed their bags and shoes before they started down the hill. The night air was cool despite the earlier heat. He was able to look up at the moon and the stars without an obstructed view. He dropped the windows once they were in the car and let his passing air dance between his fingers as they drove.

“ That was fun,” Bruce admitted as they started down the long stretch of road to Kent’s property.

Clark slowed the car to a stop when they got to the one traffic light in the town. He continued at a snail's pace. Deer cross everywhere and it’s best to go slow in case one jumped out at them. Then, on a darker part of the street where there were no houses, Clark came to a stop once again.

“ Where are we?” Bruce looked over at him.

Clark kissed him. It was quick and soft, but still sent a thrill of Bruce’s spine.

“ I figure I’d make last night up to you.” Clark blushed.

“ You could have given me a little warning.” Bruce pouted. He reached out for Clark, his hands cupping his face. He enjoyed the way he stuttered and colored as they came closer together. This kiss was different from the last two, more intimate, and it left Bruce’s blood buzzing. Clark made a weird noise in the back of his throat as he opened his mouth and let Bruce in. He was shaking with excitement when he felt a tongue passing his lips.

Bruce was fighting to keep his heart from hammering out of his chest. He had only heard about making out from the other kids at school. He hadn’t been expecting it to be so intense. He was dragging Clark closer trying to get more contact wherever he could. He was exploring his mouth and dragging his fingers through his hair.

Clark was the one who broke away first. His eyes were bright and red-rimmed as he caught his breath. Maybe Bruce should have let him up for air sooner.

“ T-thanks…” Clark stammered out like he wasn’t sure how to reply. He was bashful suddenly. Maybe Bruce was going a little too fast. Clark didn’t say anything as he started the drive back home.

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully, the boys will get themselves together before the end of this installment! Drop a comment if you liked this chapter! It means a lot to me and I love hearing what you guys think ^^  
> If you enjoy my work, check out my [Tumblr](https://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com)


	5. Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce and Clark go to the Fair. They have a good time but Bruce gets a bit spooked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! Thanks for sticking around ^^  
> And check out some [Fanart for this series](http://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com/post/166048874946)  
> If you enjoy my work, check out my [Tumblr](https://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com)

The center of town was abuzz with energy as the fair came to life. Clark enjoyed this time of year. The sun was starting to set and it made the lights of the festival start to glow against the sky. 

His family didn’t have a booth this time around, so he was able to show Bruce around. He guided the way through the booths and rides. He warned Bruce that he wouldn’t want to eat until after they went on a few rides.

“Some of them will flip your stomach.” Clark cautioned. “If you fill up on cotton candy and fried food, it’s going to end up all over your shirt.”

“I don’t really like thrill rides,” Bruce admitted. “I’m not too good with heights.”

“So no Ferris Wheel.”    

“Please.”

“We got Bumper Cars and The Spinner.”

“The Spinner?”

“You get in these little spaceship saucers and it spins you around.”

“Like the Teacups at Disneyland?” Bruce asked.

“Yeah.” Clark nodded even though he’d never been there to know. But amusement park rides were probably similar enough to what they have here. 

“So we can get food first then?” Bruce clarified. He would be lying if he said that he hadn’t made sure to leave some room for food. Alfred almost never lets him have fried food. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to try first. “What is deep fried butter?” He asked looking at one of the signs.

“Exactly what it sounds like,” Clark smirked. “I take it you want to try it?”

It was delicious. Bruce had to stop himself from drooling after the first bite. How had he gone so long without this! He was tasting everything there was to offer. He had deep fried apples and Oreos. He had fresh popcorn and cotton candy. He drank the sweetest cream soda he ever had in his life.

“So good,” Bruce said through a mouthful of deep-fried corn-dogs. “You want some?” he offered the stick to Clark. 

Clark smiled and took a bite. It wasn’t his first time eating one of these, but he was enjoying watching Bruce try everything. Bruce had this habit of stuffing his cheeks when he ate something he liked. It was like he couldn’t get enough and had to keep taking bites.      

“You might want to slow down,” Clark cautioned. “We haven’t even gotten to every booth yet. There’s a lot more food here than this.”

“Everything is so good! I can only get nachos and stuff at the amusement parks.”

“Most of this is homemade,” Clark shrugged. “The fire department is the one who organizes the whole thing. Anyone can pay to get a booth set up. It’s why we have such a variety.”

“Homemade meals are the best,” Bruce said.

“You want to try out a few games?” Clark asked. “They have Ring Toss, and the Strong Man Competition up this year.”

“No Tractor Tug?” Bruce asked, regretting when the words left his mouth. He wasn’t sure he would be able to live through watching Clark take part in something like that. He already struggled with that one picture. He would jizz in his pants if he actually saw the real thing. Clark shirtless and sweaty and….

No. He wasn’t going to think about it. 

“Not this year. Stuff to win equipment isn’t until the fall. The only similar thing they have to it is the Strong Man Competition. It’s  that game where you hit the hammer on a target to see if you can make the bell ring. It's just as fun, if not better. Less of a strain on the back.”

“I’m game.” Bruce deposited the last of his trash in a nearby trashcan. “What first?”

There was a game where you shoot fake ducks. Not that Bruce minded. It’s not like it’s a real gun or real birds, but Clark was very good with a gun. Granted, these games come around frequently in this town from what he had been told. It was probably why it was so natural for Clark to aim and fire like the gun like it was a part of him. He simply had to turn the muzzle like pointing a finger to get the desired shot. 

“You’re good.”

“Thanks,” Clark flashed him a smirk. “Ya gotta be around here. Once you get old enough you get to go out with the adults during hunting season.”

“You hunt?” Bruce wasn’t sure how he felt about that, and he could tell from the look on Clark’s face that it showed in his tone. 

“We got to.” Clark shrugged before taking one last shot. “Deer and rabbit can overpopulate quicker than you can blink. Let them be for one season and they’ll eat all the crops.” He didn’t look at Bruce as he spoke. Instead, he acted like he was more focused on picking out a prize. “It’s not for sport or anything. At least not in my case.”

He chose the stuffed dog before turning to Bruce and adding. “My family uses everything from the fur to the bones.” He gave the toy to Bruce.

“I’m not put off by it. It just surprised me that you did. I don’t remember you mentioning it before.” Bruce reasoned. Clark raised an eyebrow like he could tell he was lying. Then he smiled and pat Bruce on the back, saying that he didn’t take it personally. 

“What are you guys up to?” Lana was suddenly behind them with Pete alongside her.

“We’re playing some games,” Clark said. “What have you guys gotten into?” 

“Pete failed at the Strong Man Competition. He managed to get one of the stuffed bears though.” Lana held it up for them to look at. “So I got him some firecrackers from the Ring Toss.”

“You can win firecrackers?” Bruce asked in amazement.

“And bottle rockets!” Pete added. “I figured we can set some of them off in the junkyard tomorrow.”  He was grinning at Clark.

“Yeah,” Clark smiled back, his eyes were sparkling with mischief. He looked to Bruce for confirmation that he was also in on this. All he could do was smile back. It didn’t sound like anything too bad, and he never got to do stuff like this with his friends. He was more than open to trying it.

“We should check out the Balloon and Dart game,” Lana suggested. “I heard that they’re even more impossible to pop.”

“Really?” Pete asked as the group started to move. 

“This one kid’s dart hit the balloon and bounced right off of it!” Lana went on.

“Then why are we going to play this game?” Bruce asked. It sounded like a scam. Why play if you know you’re just gonna lose and waste your money?

“Cause Clark always manages to beat it!” Pete boast. Clark blushed at the praise. “So he’s gotta at least try.”

It was comical watching the way Pete and Lana pushed Clark along. They looked so small compared to him, yet they maneuvered him like it was nothing. Bruce had to fight back a giggle.

“You again,” The guy running the booth scowled. “You don’t get to stand here all day and win all my prizes.”

“It was that one time,” Clark squeaked. He put money on the counter for his darts “And I paid for all my darts.”

“You get one prize, then you scat.”  The man handed him three darts.

“We’re all playing.” Lana put money down.

“Sure, sure.” The guy handed them their darts as well then stepped back to let them play. Pete wasn’t much good with aim and was soon out of darts, grumbling about how the game was rigged. Lana was a little better, but the few that she threw that should have hit bounced right off. Bruce was having the same problem. He tried throwing them with a bit more force but he couldn’t get any of the damn balloons to pop. 

Then there was Clark. He took his time to line up his dart and threw it so effortlessly, but managed to get the balloon to give. The next few came in rapid succession, each with accurate precision. It was like Clark’s arm was a machine. 

The last dart hit the board making a rather loud crack noise. Clark winced when he saw the crack in the board.

“What the!” The man running the booth was upset, but he also didn’t seem surprised. “For that, you don’t get a prize.” 

“I figured as much,” Clark sighed. “Sorry.”

“Uh huh. You guys had your fun now get going.” He shooed them away.

“That was rude,” Bruce said not caring how close they were or weren’t to the booth. “He still won fair and square, even though the game was rigged. He deserves something.”

“You know what,” the guy at the booth huffed. “Here.” He tossed a stuffed panda at them. Bruce caught it. “Now get lost.”

Bruce rolled his eyes as they walked away. He passed the panda to Clark in triumph.

“Thanks,” Clark gave a sheepish smile. His face flushed pink, and Bruce found himself doing the same in response. 

Lana was looking between them with a small smirk. Bruce didn’t catch it before it was too late. He opened his mouth to say something. He wasn’t sure what, maybe change the subject. All he could remember was what Clark had said in the car about this being a small town. If something was said now, then he could only imagine what Clark’s life would be like from this point on. 

“Pete, we didn’t stop at the cotton candy booth yet,” Lana turned to the other teen.

“I thought you didn’t want any since that time you found an ant in yours?” Pete was bewildered. 

“It was just the one time. And I’m craving some right now.” Lana was pulling Pete with her yet again. “We’ll catch up to you for the fireworks.”

“Cool,” Clark waved as they left. “Guess it’s just us again.”

“Yeah,” Bruce smiled at him as they started to make their way through the crowd again. “Let’s do that Strong Man thing you mentioned before.”

It proved to be one of Bruce’s worst ideas ever. The hammer he had to lift was heavy and he couldn't lift it more than a few inches. His first try registered. Clark was giving him tips on the sidelines, but the second one was just as bad as the last. 

“You gotta get it over your head.” Clark came closer. His hands were gentle as he helped Bruce lift the hammer over his head. He must be supporting all the weight because it suddenly felt like he was barely holding it. 

“Tighten your core,” Clark instructed. “When I let go bring it down as hard as you can, alright?”

“I got this,” Bruce nodded. It was a little embarrassing to have to get help, but it was from Clark, so he didn’t care. Clark let go and Bruce swung with all his might. He’s sure gravity did most of the work now that he was the one taking the brunt of the weight. The hammer came down hard and he heard the bell ring a few seconds after.

“Yes!” He cheered. Picked out something small: a stuffed sheep. 

Then it was Clark’s turn. He had expected him to do well. It didn’t take him much effort to lift the hammer over his head. His shirt rode up a little and Bruce got to get a peek at that tummy. His whole body became taut like a bowstring, muscles bulging right before he swung down. He just fell short of the mark and decided to pass on a prize.

“I wanted to see if I could do it,” Clark acted like it was no big deal. “You want a souvenir?” He jerked his thumb in the direction of a photo booth.

“Let’s do it!” 

The crammed into the booth and pulled the curtain. They took a few minutes to decide on a border and other decoration but after a few minutes, they were finally ready. The first picture would be normal, the second picture would be silly, and the last one would be random. 

The first one they leaned in close and smiled at the camera. Bruce tried his best not to laugh when Clark leaned in and squished his face until his cheeks puckered and his tongue stuck out. The action was playful, but also gentle, like he was restraining himself. It was sweet. So Bruce retaliated by putting his arm around Clark’s shoulders so he could give him bunny ears. 

The last one was Brice’s favorite. He could hear the timer ticking down to give them time to re-position themselves. Clark turned to him and kissed him, giving him time to melt into it before the flash went off. 

“Come on. Let’s see how they came out.” Clark bounced up leaving Bruce with his heart still pounding in his chest. 

~.~.~.~.~

It may have been a little cruel to leave Bruce that quickly. But he wanted to grab those pictures before anyone else snatched them by "mistake". He couldn’t fight the grin when he got a good look at them. Bruce was soon behind him and Clark passed him his copy of the pictures.

The sun was already set now, and everyone was starting to gather in the empty field. The fireworks would be starting soon.

“We should grab some good seats,” Clark said. “The closer the better.”

Bruce was at his side as they maneuvered through the crowd of people. Families had already set out their blankets so they wouldn’t have to sit on the grass and dirt. Maybe he should have bought one as well? Nah, it would have been a hassle to carry a blanket plus the prizes they had won.

“There you guys are,” Pete waved them down. “We got a good spot this year.”

Bruce sat down not sure if this was a good spot. He didn’t see any water, just a field. Don’t fireworks usually need to be done by water to avoid fire? He shrugged it off. It was dark, maybe he just couldn’t see where the actual setup was. He wanted to ask Clark, but decided against it. It was a stupid question anyway.

Clark was lounging next to him. He was laying back on the grass looking up at the dark sky. He looked over a Bruce with a small smile on his face.  Bruce smiled back at him.

“We’re right up front,” Clark told him. “You’re gonna be able to feel it in your core.”

“What?” Bruce didn’t get it.

“You’ll feel in your chest,” Lana said. “It rumbles.”

“If you haven’t felt it before, it’s like something else,” Pete assured him.

It wasn’t long until the Kents and Alfred found them. They weren’t too far away from them and waved. Bruce appreciated the space. He didn’t want to be the one kid who had his parents hovering.

“You’re gonna love it,” Lana assured him.

Then the lights in the field went out and Bruce jumped out of his skin. Everyone cheered. Clark sat up. He placed a hand on Bruce’s shoulder to steady him, and let him know that it meant the show was about to start.

Pete was right, each explosion rumbled through his chest. At first, it wasn’t that bad. There was a flash of light as the firework shot up, and then the sky lit up with color. The sound didn’t come until a few seconds afterward, it took him by surprise. His mind was scrambling to catch up the lag of time between the light and the sound. Even worse he realized that the fireworks were being shot up from the edge of the field. Sure, the area was taped off so no one could get too close, but with where they were, fire was raining down on them. 

Everyone around them was cheering. Even Clark was enthralled, and Bruce had to fight back a squawk when each one went up. It was bright, it was loud, it was terrifying. He wanted to scream, but he couldn’t.

“Clark…” He managed to get his mouth to move enough and to get his voice to make his way past his lips.

Clark looked over at him grinning from ear to ear before he took in Bruce’s disposition. His smile dropped and he asked Bruce what was wrong. Bruce shook his head still unable to express himself. His hands were trembling now, and his breath was becoming shallow.

“Bruce,” Clark laid a hand on his shoulder. “You okay?”

“I can’t…” Bruce squeaked. His stomach was twisted in knots. Again, he was so terrified that he couldn’t move. But Clark seemed to know what was going on. The rest happened quickly. Clark’s warm arms wrapped around him so they were chest-to-chest, and lifted him off the ground. One arm supporting his bottom the other on the back of his head. He thinks there was a short conversation with his parents and Alfred, and then they were moving.

In a flash, they were at the edge of the festival. He was being placed in the back seat of a car and Clark was putting something over the front windshield to block out the flashing lights. Then he slid in next to him and asked if he was okay.

“I’m alright,” Bruce tried to calm down. “I’m alright.”

“First time seeing fireworks?” Clark asked. He wasn’t teasing, only curious. 

“First time being that close.” He wasn’t going to explain more, and Clark didn’t ask.

“Well, at least we got some time with only the two of us.” Clark came a little closer and pulled him towards him. He was trying to be casual, but comforting at the same time.

“We left all our stuff on the hill.” Bruce reminded him.

“Ma will bring it back,” Clark assured him. 

The thunderous boom was a dull noise in the background now. It made it easier for him to catch his breath and compose himself.

“How long until the show ends?” Bruce asked.

“It goes about a half hour. It’s only a few minutes in.”

“So we have a little while until everyone comes back?” Bruce sat up. The fireworks sounded like a roar in the distance. Far enough to not have to worry about them.

“Yeah,” Clark relaxed into the seat. He looked forward as if he was watching something. But that couldn’t be possible because of the sunshade over the window.

Bruce settled in next to Clark. They let the quiet continue for a second longer before he finally asked the question that had been on his mind for the past year.

“Do you want to be my boyfriend?” He somehow managed to ask without stuttering or straining. And to his relief, Clark didn’t tense or look strained. Instead, his cheeks tinted pink as he turned to face him.

“If you don’t mind the long distance,” Clark replied bashfully. 

“Well, I own a jet. I can come down whenever we miss each other too much.”  Bruce smiled. It was one of the perks of being rich.

“Or I could come up to see you once in awhile.”

“Winter break would be a good time.” Bruce came a little closer. “After the holidays. It would only be a few days, but Gotham looks pretty good in the colder seasons.”

“I’ll ask Ma about it. Visiting I mean.  I’ll ask her if I can come up to visit.”

It took Bruce a second to realize what Clark was getting at.

“Your parents wouldn’t be okay with us dating.”

“I’m…not sure,” Clark shifted uncomfortably. “We’ve never talked about it before. But this town is pretty…well, I told you before.”

Bruce blinked trying to process everything that was being said to him. He had only heard of people who were “in the closet” he’d never experienced it himself. Alfred had accepted him the way he was. He never even had to “come out." After the incident with Harvey, Alfred had a short talk with him about appropriate behavior when he had someone over, and that had been it. There was an open invitation to ask more questions, but Bruce never felt the need to go to him at this point. 

He couldn’t imagine what it must be like to keep something like that from the people closest to him. What it must be like to fear rejection from the only family that he had. He placed his hand over one of Clark’s and offered him a small smile.

“Don’t feel bad about it,” Clark gave a soft chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. “I’m sure they’ll be fine with it when I tell them.”

They may have only known each other face to face for a few days, but Bruce could easily tell that he was lying. It wasn’t like he could do anything about it, besides be supportive. He was going to say a few words of comfort, but Clark leaned up and kissed him.

“I thought you said…” Bruce backed away remembering what had happened at the drive-in movie.

“Everyone is watching the fireworks,” Clark was back in his personal space in an instant. “No one is going to catch us.”

Bruce blushed but was more than happy to indulge. He settled beside Clark in the back seat. Clark gave him a sly smirk before he pressed their lips together again. Bruce brought his hand up to cup Clark’s cheek and thread to his hair, pulling him closer. Clark made a noise in the back of his throat like last time and opened his mouth a little. Bruce took it as an invitation and slowly let his tongue slip inside. 

Clark let out another moan, this one a pitch higher than the last. One of his hands were on Bruce’s hip. His fingers gingerly touch and pulled him a closer. Slowly and carefully, his hands went up Bruce’s back to rest on the middle of his spine. They were touching from chest to thigh as Bruce tipped them over, finally able to fully access Clark’s mouth. It was way more intimate than he had expected to get during this visit. 

Not that he was complaining.

Clark let out a sigh. The breath that met Bruce’s was a bit colder than he expected… a lot colder than he expected. Everything happened at once. Clark pushed him off, his hands gentle but firm and closed his mouth so tight his lips pursed together. He looked up at Bruce with wide eyes like he was guilty of something and didn’t know what to say. And while it did puzzle Bruce, he wasn’t sure what had happened.

“That was…odd…” Bruce wasn’t sure what to say.

“I’m, I’m not sure how that happened.” Clark looked away nervously. “I don’t know how I did that. Maybe I breathed out weird.” His words were strained.

“It’s fine. It’s was weird, but not unpleasant.” Bruce wasn’t sure what else to say.

Clark let out a sigh of relief.

“It sounds like things are winding down,” Clark said. Which was ironic, because the fireworks sounded like they were going off faster than before. He must have made a face because Clark chuckled before explaining that what he was hearing was the finale. 

It was a disappointment because it meant Clark was going to put some space between them once people started coming around. Just as expected, it wasn’t long until the adults came back. 

“Are you okay Bruce?” Mrs. Kent asked as she slid into the back seat with them for the ride home.

“Yes,” He tried not to be embarrassed by what happened. 

“Are you sure?” Alfred was turned around in the passenger seat. 

“I’m positive. It startled me, but I’m okay now” He wanted the conversation to pass so they didn’t have to dwell on it. He’d never been scared of fireworks before, it was because of the proximity they were in that had made him ill at ease. 

The drive home was filled with chit-chat. At some point, Clark closed his eyes and started to doze off. Bruce didn’t blame him. It was a long ride back and he would do the same, but all the bumps in the road left him unable to get comfortable enough to rest. He kept himself occupied looking out the window so his thoughts could drown out the adult conversation.

Clark slumped between them as he slept. His head lolled to his mother’s shoulders before it rested on Bruce. It made the ride more pleasant. 

Sure the windows were down and it let the smell of manure in, and tomorrow was probably going to be unbearably hot. But he was still glad he came, and glad he got to see Clark in person. He couldn’t wait to see what else there was to do with him in this little town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all for this installment. The next part will be called Big City and Clark will be visiting Bruce in Gotham! I hope you guys like this part If you did drop a comment! I love hearing from you guys! Thanks for sticking around through this part, I hope to see you guys again when I post Big City.  
> If you enjoy my work, check out my [Tumblr](https://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com)

**Author's Note:**

> If you like it drop a comment! I love to hear from you guys!  
> If you enjoy my work, check out my [Tumblr](https://ryan-masamune-of-oshu.tumblr.com)  
> Till next time!


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